


Separation

by atimidtempest



Category: Free!
Genre: Children, Divorce, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 00:10:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5890495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atimidtempest/pseuds/atimidtempest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for day 1 of SouRin Week 2016. Combining the two prompts "Never Met" and "Samezuka family". Rough, mostly unedited, sad one-shot about divorce from their child Aiichirou's POV</p>
            </blockquote>





	Separation

Ai doesn’t remember much about the divorce. For the most part, he remembers being sent away to Uncle Makoto’s house, usually past his bedtime, with Momo already fast asleep. He remembers waking up in an unfamiliar bed, to the smell of roasted fish instead of pork. He remembers playdates with Nagisa, spontaneous and out of the blue.

But Ai does remember some things. The scariest parts, the things Rin and Sousuke couldn’t hide. The shouting, the slamming of doors, the cold, unbearable silence between his parents. Ai remembers the night Rin kicked Sousuke out of the house, and Sousuke couldn’t come to give Ai his goodnight kiss. In the months of the divorce, Ai spent more time with Rin than he ever had before, but there was something sad about his dad that kept Ai from enjoying it like he wanted to.

On the night Sousuke left, moved out for good, Ai crawled out of his bed, again unable to sleep without his goodnight kiss. As Ai came to the kitchen counter, he saw Rin, shoulders slumped forward, head buried in his hands. With shock, Ai realized Rin was crying.

Rin’s head popped up as he heard Ai’s footsteps. Sure enough, his cheeks glistened, and his eyes were red. Sniffling, he gestured for Ai to come over.

“Want a glass of milk?” Rin said softly.

Ai shook his head, but came to sit on Rin’s lap anyway.

“Daddy? Do… do you hate him now?”

Rin shakes his head, smiling through the tears, “No, not at all. I… I still love your daddy very much. Sometimes these things just don’t… work out like you want them too. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, things just aren’t what you wanted.”

Rin shakes, a little sob running through his body, “I love him so much. So much. When it hurts like this though, I just…. Sometimes I wish we had never met.”

He can barely finish the sentence. His tears fall on Ai’s head. Ai sits there for a moment, completely unsure of what to do now. Finally, Rin controls himself and gets Ai the glass of milk.

When Ai gets back to bed, he still can’t sleep.

\-------------------------------------------------

Ai isn’t left without Sousuke’s goodnight kiss for long. Ai and Momo move back and forth between Rin’s and Sousuke’s houses on alternating weeks. Momo, too young to understand what was going on, found it to be an amazing adventure. Sousuke’s new house was very old, and full of antique objects. The children spent hours exploring the nooks and crannies of the place, tracking dust over every carpet and chair.

Yet, there was something all too quiet about the house. Or maybe it was Sousuke. Without Rin beside him, Sousuke’s quiet nature became all too obvious, even to the kids. Whenever Ai or Momo brought a new discovery to Sousuke, he only smiled and nodded. There was none of the exuberance and congratulations they had been used to. That had always come from Rin.

The second week Ai spends at Sousuke’s house, Ai finally finds the courage to ask him the burning question he’s had all this time.

As Sousuke walks towards Ai’s bed, Ai asks, “Daddy? Um, do you still love him?”

Sousuke’s expression is now an exhausted frown. He sits beside Ai, but looks away, deep in thought for a moment. Finally, he answers the question.

“Of course. I’ve never met anyone else so electrifying in all my life.”

Sousuke turns to leave, but Ai cries out, “Daddy! My kiss!”

He rushes back, kisses Ai, but then lingers for a moment. Sousuke looks at Ai, and his tired expression slowly changes to a fond, gentle smile.

“But Ai? You know what?”

“What?”

He kisses Ai again, “I love you most of all.”

Ai mulls over the idea, and finds himself content for the time being.

**Author's Note:**

> My goal this week is to combine one of three main prompts with the Aiko Desho prompt everyday. If I feel like stabbing myself in the heart some more, I may continue/rehash this story. The truth is, as much as I love happy/goofy SouRin, I LIVE for angsty SouRin! As perfect as they are for each other, I can see equally valid reasons for them to fall apart as well. Written in one hour, so I apologize for the roughness!


End file.
